Chapter 333

Under Phoebe’s relentless questioning, Reece’s face shifted uncomfortably. He opened his mouth to speak, but found himself at a loss for words. The truth was, he was starting to believe Phoebe.

Since Reece had stopped clinging to the illusion of maternal love, he was finally seeing Ophelia’s true nature. He thought, ‘Ophelia never liked Phoebe; she downright hated her.’ And when it came to Sienna, she treated her better than her biological children. He thought, Ophelia could do something like this for Sienna.

Reece glanced at the coffee shop across the street before turning to Phoebe. “I’ll go over there and ask Jake what’s happening.” He paused, his voice softening. “If it turns out Ophelia was behind all of this, I’ll apologize on her behalf.”

Phoebe scoffed. “Apologize on her behalf? You think that’s going to solve anything?”

Reece, sensing her frustration, rushed to clarify. “That’s not what I meant.” He sighed, visibly torn. “If Ophelia’s pulling the strings, it’s all on her. Whatever you want to do, I’ll support you.”

He was growing increasingly disillusioned with Ophelia. If Phoebe wanted to retaliate, he was entirely behind her. Reece thought, After all, Ophelia has crossed a line. Maybe a wake-up call will finally put an end to her antics, and then Finnian can get some peace.

Phoebe finally nodded, her expression softening. “Now, that’s more like it.”

Ophelia, watching the livestream, was seething with rage. “Ungrateful child, that ungrateful child!” Ophelia thought, What kind of son have I raised, to say something like that on a live stream? From the sounds of it, he had already convinced himself she was behind all this. Not only did he fail to defend her, but he sided with Phoebe in acting against her. Ophelia thought, At this moment, I wish I could undo everything and start over. Her face darkened further with each passing second.

Ophelia thought, I’ve never liked these two, not since the day they were born. As expected, they’ve always been a curse on me—disrespecting me as their mother, even betraying me. If I had known, I would have done whatever it took, even if it meant hurting myself, to get rid of them. It would have saved me so much anger and pain.

Unable to stop herself, she glanced at the livestream’s comments. The comments flooded in, bashing Ophelia, and some even began sharing details about her background. Ophelia felt the sting of humiliation, her face turning pale with fury. It became painfully clear that the only thing that mattered now was shifting the blame.

Chapter 333

Ophelia thought, Otherwise, how can I still hold my place in high society? She picked up the phone and called Jake.

Jake, standing by the window, looked out with a grim expression. When he answered, Ophelia immediately lashed out at him. After a harsh lecture, she told him to take responsibility for the situation himself and not drag her into it. The Lyons family had always depended on Ophelia. Jake had lived comfortably thanks to Ophelia and wasn’t about to jeopardize that. After a brief pause, he assured her he would take full responsibility.

Hanging up, Jake descended the stairs and headed toward the street. He had been hesitant before about getting involved, but now, with Ophelia’s words ringing in his ears, he had no choice.

“And those two idiots… one made his mother have an abortion, the other killed someone. From the looks of it, they might be guilty.” He had to act quickly, before the police showed up.

The two blonde men’s faces lit up with excitement when Jake appeared. “Ollie, we’re here!” “Ollie, help us!” Their cries drew the crowd’s attention, and the livestream camera zoomed in on Jake. Jake looked every bit the part—well-dressed and composed—but because of his past, the public’s opinion of him was far from favorable.

Jake thought, ‘I can’t believe these two idiots. They were supposed to stir up trouble and shake things up, but all they’ve done is leave me a mess to clean up. Useless.’ He forced a smile and turned to Reece. “Reece, long time no see.”

Reece had always had a poor opinion of the maternal side of his family. After Brenda was sent to their grandmother’s house, she had endured nothing but mistreatment and bullying from them. Jake, in particular, had always been trouble, never focusing on anything serious and wasting his time fooling around. Being the youngest, family had spoiled him rotten.

Reece furrowed his brow and asked, “What’s going on! Why bring these two men to harm Phoebe?”

Jake thought, “Now Reece is on the list of people to curse. What an idiot. Shouldn’t he be trying to clear our names instead of jumping straight to accusations? Constantly so irritating, just like before!” Still, Jake didn’t show his irritation. With a pleasant smile, he replied, “Reece, it’s all a misunderstanding. I like Ms. Jenkins, and I just wanted to do something to catch her attention.”

Jake gave a sheepish smile. “I just thought I’d have these two acquaintances stir up some trouble, then step in like a hero to save the day.” “Who knew they’d mess things up?” Jake didn’t try to deny it, knowing full well that no one would believe him if he said he hadn’t orchestrated the whole thing. It would only drag Ophelia into the mess, so he decided to take the fall for it all.

He was genuinely interested in Phoebe and didn’t mind playing the hero. After all, when a gentleman meets a virtuous lady, they’re meant to be together. At worst, he’d get a minor criticism. He liked to live on the edge, often flaunting his wealth and private life on livestreams. He wasn’t afraid of the…

Reece’s frown deepened. “What kind of nonsense are you talking about?”

Reece thought, ‘Someone like Jake thinking he has a chance with Phoebe?

Phoebe raised an eyebrow, looking at Jake. “I didn’t see any hint from your face or eyes that you… me… or want to play the hero.”

Jake was caught off guard, not expecting Phoebe to see through him. Jake thought, I’m not happy about this. Phoebe’s going against me now. No woman has ever dared to embarrass me like this before.

Chapter 333

But he couldn’t let it show. Jake smiled and said, “My feelings for you have always been hidden deep inside.” “You were Reece’s girlfriend before, and I didn’t want to cross that line.” “But now that you two are no longer together, I thought I might have a chance,”

It was the truth. He had always known Reece’s girlfriend was beautiful. Jake thought, If she were mine, taking her out would make me look good. I didn’t dare cross Reece, so I never pursued it.

Then, when Ophelia discovered their relationship, she opposed Reece being with Phoebe. She even told him to do whatever it took to win her over—ruin her reputation by claiming she was his mistress, then dump her. But before he could act on it, Phoebe took the initiative and broke up with Reece. Ophelia didn’t bring it up again, so neither did he.

Jake thought, If I could have Phoebe, I definitely would—especially since she dumped Reece and now I’m the one who gets her. The thought of it feels impressive, gives me bragging rights, and would be a real thrill too. ‘If I want to succeed now, the usual methods won’t cut it. I’ll have to resort to something more drastic.’ ‘Phoebe must have pissed off Ophelia today. I’m sure she’ll help me win Phoebe over.’ ‘Once Phoebe’s in my hands, I’ll make sure she pays for not giving me the respect I deserve today.’